Time
by eblonde
Summary: Another tag to 4x17, this time from Kurt's POV. Can be read as a stand alone, or with my oneshot 'Faith'.


**Another tag to 4x17, this time from Kurt's POV. Can be read as a stand alone, or with my oneshot 'Faith'.**

**Lurkingwhump, you're my rock :)**

**Managed to fill another badthingshappenbingo square as well.**

**Please excuse any errors.**

**I hope you enjoy this :)**

A frustrated grunt escaped his lips.

They had been searching by torch light through the woods for over an hour now. The temperature had plummeted, freezing the ground and making progress even slower.

It had been over four hours since Jane's comms had gone silent. It had taken a further three to get Madeline to crack on Jane's whereabouts. It had taken every ounce of Kurt's strength, not to throttle the woman once he had found out what she had done with his wife

_Buried alive._

They had buried her alive.

Even now, thinking about it, he couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief.

He knew that Jane was running out of time. If the cold hadn't got to her by now, the lack of oxygen surely wouldn't be far behind…

Maybe she was already…

Kurt winced, not allowing himself to finish the thought. There was no way after surviving the ZIP poisoning, which was meant to be _fatal_, that she would be taken from him now. He couldn't let himself think that way.

"Kurt!" Zapata's desperate call came from behind a tree, not too far from where he was. "I think we've found something!"

He raced over to where her voice was coming from, taking in the scene in front of him.

The soil was different here, still overturned and unsettled enough that it hadn't frozen solid like the ground around it.

Kurt didn't even hesitate. He strode over to the mound, sinking to his knees. Desperately, he started digging through the dirt, ignoring the bite the nearly frozen soil had on his hands.

Tree roots and stones cut up his fingers and palms, but still he didn't stop.

"Kurt… hold up!" Reade called, taking in the bloody mess Kurt was of his hands. His words were spoken on deaf ears though, Kurt was a man on a mission. Nothing was going to stop him.

Reade and Tasha both shrugged, before falling to their knees beside him, helping him dig.

"Jane?!" he called, hoping - praying that she would answer him. If not only to ease his mind while he got her out of there.

His desperate pleas were met with silence.

An agent appeared, having heard the commotion, carrying a couple of shovels. Kurt scrambled to his feet, yanking the shovel from his hands, before returning to digging his wife out of the ground. Reade grabbed the other shovel and Tasha moved out of the way, standing to the side, hoping that they were in the right place.

"Jane!" Kurt called again. Again he was met with nothing but a silent grave.

After another couple of minutes of digging, Tasha spoke up.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" she asked, fear gripping her heart. If they were wasting their time digging in the wrong spot, they could be wasting Jane's final minutes.

"I'm sure." Kurt ground out. He wasn't sure how he knew, but his gut was telling him he just needed to dig a little deeper.

Zapata shared a look with Reade, who merely shrugged and continued digging. She started tapping her muddy finger against her thigh. It was her fault Jane was in this mess to begin with. Madeline had clearly had this trap laid out for her… but she had captured her... and Dominic had taken the next best thing as leverage. She couldn't help the tear that tracked down her face. If Jane died… that was on her.

She was broken out of the thoughts, by the sound of metal on wood.

Reade and Kurt quickly cleared more chunks of frozen dirt off of the lid, before Kurt bent down, brushing the rest off with his bloodied fingers.

In an act of pure desperation, he reached for the edge of the lid, pulling with all of his might. The wood cracked, then splintered, exposing two feet, one bare, one socked and both unmoving.

"Jane? Can you hear me?" he called, reaching for another board, ripping chunks off the roof of her makeshift coffin.

There was no reply from within the grave.

Kurt's desperation turned to fear, almost paralysing him. He almost didn't want to get the lid off, too afraid of what he might find.

Reade appeared beside him, a crowbar in tow. Upon a silent agreement, Kurt heaved himself out of the shallow grave, watching as his friend wrenched the rest of the lid off.

Kurt's breath caught in his throat when he finally saw his wife's face.

Her eyes were closed and she was lifeless. Her lips were blue and her skin was so pale it was almost translucent. There were tear tracks running through the dirt on her face and cuts on her knuckles where she had struggled to get free.

His heart broke completely. He couldn't move. Knowing what she had went through, right up until her final moments… he would never be able to forgive himself for not finding her sooner.

He was broken out of his tear stricken thoughts but Reade calling out.

"Kurt! She's alive!"

Kurt frowned. There was no way someone could look so dead, and still have a pulse. He stood frozen on the spot, just staring down at Reade trying to get his attention.

"Kurt! Jane needs you! Snap out of it man!"

He blinked. Could she really still be alive? He watched Reade gently pick her up, moving to pass her to Zapata. Kurt dropped to his knees, his brain finally coming to terms with the fact that maybe there was still hope.

He and Tasha pulled her out of her frozen grave. Kurt cradled her to his chest, before putting his fingers on her icy skin. His heart leapt when he felt a weak pulse, fluttering beneath his fingers.

His stillness from before disappeared instantly at that confirmation of life. He knew if he didn't act fast, she wouldn't survive for much longer.

He picked her up off the frozen ground, sitting against a tree with her secured safely in his lap, his body shielding her from the frozen ground. He opened his jacket, situating her so her chest was against his, her head tucked firmly under his chin.

Wordlessly, Zapata helped him bundle blankets around the both of them, making sure that Jane's head was covered. Reade had gone off to call in an emergency medivac.

Her clothing was damp, as was her hair, and Kurt could only imagine Dominic had had her lying on the damp ground while he had finished making arrangements on her grave.

He tightened his grip on her, murderous rage coursing through his veins. If he ever manage to get his hands on him…

He took a deep breath, looking back at the bundle that was his wife. She was still lifeless, her body frozen, her lips still blue. Though he wasn't sure if that was due to the severe hypothermia or the lack of oxygen. She wasn't breathing properly, her breaths coming out in short shallow gasps. He couldn't allow himself to feel relief just yet, the medivac was still ten minutes out and even if they got her to the hospital on time, there was still a chance she wouldn't wake up the same person.

Her core temperature was too low, her brain starved of oxygen… there was a large chance that when she did wake, she would be brain damaged.

Kurt shook his head. He couldn't allow himself to think like that.

Tasha approached them, placing heating packs into the folds of the blankets, hoping to provide Jane with a bit more heat. Between Kurt's body heat, the blankets and the heating packs, it should be enough to keep her alive until help got there.

The minutes ticked by and Jane showed no sign of waking. She still felt frozen in his arms, despite all they were doing to try and warm her.

Finally they heard the telltale sound of the medivac, landing in a nearby field. After another five minutes or so, the rescue team emerged through the woods, carrying a stretcher.

Kurt reluctantly handed her over to them, watching as they quickly stripped her of her damp clothes, before covering her in a foil blanket and cocooning her from head to toe in thick blankets. The had placed a first aid warm compress to the side of her neck and groin, in the hopes that would help elevate her temperature.

They placed an oxygen mark over her face before lifting the gurney and carrying her out of sight.

They were gone before Kurt could really register what had happened. He knew from the start he wouldn't be able to accompany her in the medivac, as there wasn't enough space, but he couldn't help but feel empty as he watched them carry her away. Soon the light from their headlamps had disappeared and before he knew it, the sound of the rotors echoed through the forest.

"Come on Kurt." Zapata urged. "I'll drive you to the hospital."

She shared a nod with Reade, knowing he would stay and secure the scene.

She took him gently by the elbow, steering him out of the woods, back to where their SUV was parked. The drive to the hospital was long, both agents completely on edge. What would they find when they got there? Would Jane still be alive? And if she was alive, what kind of condition would she be in? They sat in silence, neither one sure how to comfort the other.

A part of Kurt was seething. He knew Jane would never be in this mess, if it wasn't for Zapata. But he also knew that Tasha had just been doing her job. He had told Reade when she first returned that they needed to treat her as one of the team, and he needed to follow his own advice here. Besides, he knew that the guilt would be eating her up enough without him adding to it.

Silently, he reached out and took her hand. If they were going to be able to get through this, they needed to lean on each other. He watched as she brushed a tear off her face with her free hand, before focusing on the road again.

When they finally made it to the hospital, Kurt strode straight up to the desk, slamming his badge on the counter.

"I'm here for Jane Doe." he ground out.

The receptionist jumped a little at his abruptness, before looking at him with a questioning expression. She typed in the name anyway and was mildly surprised to see a registered patient under that name.

"She's still being seen by the doctors, Sir." she said sympathetically. "You'll need to wait in the waiting room. Someone will be along shortly to update you."

Kurt gritted his teeth, but nodded all the same. There was nothing he could do to help Jane at the moment, and getting himself escorted off the premise wouldn't help either of them. He and Zapata made their way to the waiting room, sitting down in the hard hospital chairs. Again neither one made a move to start a conversation, both too jittery and wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Kurt wasn't sure how long they sat there, before he finally noticed the state his hands were in. He took a moment, excusing himself to the bathroom.

He winced as he washed the dirt and blood away, unable to stop his hands from shaking. He looked up into the mirror, staring at his distraught expression.

He couldn't lose her. Not after everything they had been through.

Sighing he made his way back to the waiting room, taking his seat next to Zapata. They waited together in silence.

Sometime later, there was a commotion behind the double doors of the ER. He could see doctors and nurses all rushing to one cubicle, shouting to one another. He slowly got to his feet, something not quite sitting right with him. The way they were yelling, this wasn't due to a medical emergency. He made his way to the door, before he heard the familiar voice of his wife. Though she was screaming. Clearly in distress.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she yelled.

"Open this door." he ordered the receptionist, flashing his badge again.

The receptionist complied and he and Zapata ran into the room.

Kurt's heart broke.

Jane was leaning against a bed, a scalpel in her hands, threatening staff to get away from her. There was a dangerous look in her eye, the same a trapped wild animal would get if it was injured. She had been changed into a hospital gown and had a nasal cannula up her nose and an IV in her arm. She was still incredibly pale, and Kurt knew that her behaviour was caused by the hypothermia, causing her to act irrationally. That and the fact that the last time she had closed her eyes, she had literally been buried alive and on the verge of death. It was enough to make anybody go a little insane.

His heart broke for her. The distress on her face made him want to just take her in his arms, but he needed to calm the situation first. She would never forgive herself if she were to hurt someone, especially him.

He moved through the team of doctors, his hands up in a placating gesture.

"Jane?" he asked softly, not wanting to scare her further, should she not recognise him. He still hadn't forgotten the potential brain damage from her ordeal. She may have woken up with partial amnesia.

Her eyes flicked to his, her face crumpling the moment she saw him. He breathed a sigh of relief as recognition flooded her features.

"Kurt?" she squeaked. It was almost as if seeing his face had caused the irrational faucet in her brain to shut off. Her eyes darted around at all of the faces staring at her, to the scalpel she still held in her hands. "Oh God." she threw the scalpel onto the tray in front of her, taking a few steps back, fear and remorse evident in her eyes.

Kurt took that moment to close the gap between himself and his wife. He pulled her into his arms, steering her back towards the bed. Her skin was still cold to the touch, and he knew she still needed emergency medical treatment. But he also knew she was scared. She had been through a massive ordeal, along with her already frayed mental health, he knew she was a ticking time bomb from losing her cool completely.

He helped her lay on the bed, being mindful of the cords snaking out from under her hospital gown. He was just about to start laying the blankets back over her, when she let out a small "Kurt."

She grabbed his arm, and he could see that she was remembering where she had been. She looked up at him with wide eyes, her chin wobbling, before she shattered, her breathing coming out in harsh painful gasps.

"Hey hey hey." Kurt murmured, lying on the bed beside her. He pulled her against his chest, before bringing the blankets back up to cover both of them.

The medical staff, now that the crisis had been averted, had chosen to give him a little room. Clearly he was in control of the situation. Zapata had moved back to the waiting room, knowing that giving them space was the best thing for both of them at the moment.

He stroked her hair as she cried into his chest, not sure how to respond, other than to hold her tightly. He let himself finally feel the relief in that she was ok. Damaged, both physically and mentally, but ok. She was alive.

He felt his own grief choke the back of his throat, and before he knew it, silent tears were rolling down his own face. He stroked the back of her head, holding her to his chest, both in comfort for her, but also for himself. He needed that physical contact. After seeing her practically dead, there was no way he was going to be able to get through this unscathed.

She continued to sob into his chest, unable to stop the tears and the anguish from flowing from her body. All of the emotions from the past couple of days, resurfacing and hitting her with a vengeance. She had only been able to hope that she would make it out of this one alive, and that relief played on her emotions, just as much as the fear did.

He sushed into her ear, slowly rocking her back and forward. She needed to try and calm down if she had any chance of getting the rest of her vitals under control.

"It's ok baby, I've got you. You're ok." he whispered. "Just breathe for me, my love."

Jane took a few ragged breaths in, knowing she needed to calm down. She brought her nose up to the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent. He was her rock. The only thing in this world that truly mattered.

"That's it." he said softly, feeling her relax against him. "Just breathe." he said again. "I'm not going anywhere."

He pulled the blankets more securely around her shoulders. It was going to take a lot for both of them to come back from this. Her body was going to heal physically, and he was relieved that she seemed to have full mental functionality, but emotionally… the scars would probably never heal.

He kissed her cold forehead softly, knowing that it was just another bump in the road on their journey. They would get through this, just like they did everything else.

It would just take time.


End file.
